"Your Majesty..."

A raspy, drake-like voice sounded beside Xiao Mo's ear.

Xiao Mo slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a man dressed as a eunuch.

He took in the vastness of the chamber.

In an instant, memories flooded into Xiao Mo's mind.

In his past life, Xiao Mo had been an orphan. He worked his way through school, got into university, and after graduating went out and found a job.

Just as life was getting better day by day, Xiao Mo was walking along a national highway and got flattened by a Dayun heavy truck.

Xiao Mo transmigrated into the body of an emperor who was also named Xiao Mo.

But the situation of the body's original owner was hardly a good one.

The late emperor had no sons, so Xiao Mo had been adopted into the imperial line.

On his deathbed, the late emperor had entrusted Xiao Mo to four ministers, but Yan Shan'ao had gradually gathered all power into his own hands, built a faction and ruled with arrogance, and had even put Su Su—a fellow regent—to death on his own authority.

On top of that, the present empress dowager was Yan Shan'ao's elder sister.

The two of them stood one inside the palace and one outside it.

As for him, the emperor, he was nothing but a decoration.

"Your Majesty... it is time for your medicine." Wei Xun held the bowl of medicine and attended at Xiao Mo's side.

Wei Xun was Xiao Mo's personal eunuch, and had once served the late emperor.

Wei Xun was outwardly obedient to Yan Shan'ao in everything, but in truth Xiao Mo knew perfectly well that he was still loyal to Xiao Mo himself.

After Xiao Mo drank down the bitter medicine, a maid came in and reported, "Your Majesty, the Chancellor has heard that Your Majesty has caught a chill, and has come especially to visit you."

"Let the Chancellor in at once!" Xiao Mo said hastily, and made to get out of bed to receive him.

Xiao Mo was deeply unhappy with Yan Shan'ao, but when it came to putting on an act, the act still had to be put on.

And if he played the harmless, inoffensive fool, he could keep the other man off his guard.

When the time came, he would find a chance to do away with Yan Shan'ao.

A moment later.

A middle-aged man wearing a long sword strode in, bowed with his hands clasped before him, and said in a loud voice, "Your subject pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Taking in Yan Shan'ao's appearance, Xiao Mo narrowed his eyes.

Wearing a sword into the palace.

That alone showed how little the man regarded him, the emperor.

"Father Chancellor, there is no need for such ceremony," Xiao Mo said, hurrying forward to help Yan Shan'ao to his feet. "What brings Father Chancellor here?"

"Your subject heard that Your Majesty had caught a chill, and came to look in on the imperial dragon body."

As he spoke, Yan Shan'ao looked at the several palace maids in the room.

"Men! Drag these palace maids out and behead them. They cannot even look after His Majesty—what use are they?"

"Have mercy, Chancellor!"

Frightened out of their wits, the maids dropped to their knees and begged for mercy.

Some eunuchs came in and made to drag the maids away.

How could Xiao Mo not know that Yan Shan'ao was deliberately killing these maids for him to see.

The reason was that not long before, Wang Can, Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, had slipped into the palace to see the body's original owner and discuss getting rid of the "traitor."

In the end, Yan Shan'ao had gotten wind of it.

But Wang Can was the Censorate's second-in-command, and in the Great Zhou, even the emperor could not lightly put a remonstrance official to death.

So Yan Shan'ao had trumped up a charge against Wang Can, stripped him of his office, and sent him out of the capital.

By killing these maids, Yan Shan'ao was making one point: "Best not go getting any ideas, Your Majesty. Everything around you is decided by me."

"Father Chancellor, the late emperor always taught me to keep a benevolent heart. These maids have done nothing deserving of death—just send them out of the palace and let that be the end of it," Xiao Mo said slowly.

Yan Shan'ao stared at Xiao Mo for the space of a breath before he spoke. "Since Your Majesty puts it that way, then ten strokes of the rod each, and let them leave the palace."

Yan Shan'ao waved a hand, and the eunuchs dragged the maids out.

"Your Majesty must take great care of the imperial dragon body. Your subject will personally pick out a few maids to look after Your Majesty."

"I am sorry to put Father Chancellor to such trouble." Xiao Mo showed a simple, honest smile.

"Then let Your Majesty rest well. Your subject will take his leave first."

"Take care, Father Chancellor. Eunuch Wei, see Father Chancellor out."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Once Yan Shan'ao had been seen off, Xiao Mo lay back down on the bed, and could not help thinking of a line—I have walked on thin ice all my life; can I really make it to the other shore?

And just as Xiao Mo was sighing over this,

a book appeared in his mind.

On the cover were written three characters—Hundred Lives Book.

At a flicker of Xiao Mo's intent, the scroll opened of its own accord, and characters floated up from it one after another—

【Hundred Lives Book. Using this book, the Host may create characters and experience different lives.

In each life, the Host will receive different tasks. Completing the tasks will earn certain rewards.

Use it?】

Xiao Mo decisively chose "Use!"

【Please write down the name of the character to be created】

Xiao Mo thought it over. He was here to experience a life anyway, so he might as well just use his own original name—it would make it easier to feel his way into the part.

【Avatar "Xiao Mo" has been created.】

The Hundred Lives Book released an immense pull, like a black hole.

Xiao Mo's consciousness was sucked inside in an instant.

A moment later, as his awareness returned, Xiao Mo found himself standing in front of a wooden hut on a mountain.

The Hundred Lives Book surfaced in Xiao Mo's mind once more—

【The Host has established a new avatar, named Xiao Mo.

Time inside the Hundred Lives Book flows a hundred times faster than in the outside world.

When the Host's consciousness leaves the Hundred Lives Book, time within the book will pause.】

【Character background: You are the son of Xiao Jing, Prince Jing of Liang. Your talent is ordinary, but your father could not bear the sight of you being mediocre.

In the year you turned eight, your father knocked you unconscious and transplanted a young girl's innate sword bone into your body. They lied to you that it was a sword bone you had awakened on your own.

From then on you shot up to become a genius of the sword Dao. At barely eighteen years of age, you were already a sword cultivator of the Nascent Soul realm.

But you are an upright man, and when you learned that your sword bone had come from a young girl—and that having the bone torn from her by force had left her a cripple for life—you were shaken to the core.

You had a huge quarrel with your family and ran away from home, joining the Dragon Spring Sword Sect as an elder with no real duties. At the same time, you never stop searching for that girl, wanting to spend everything you have to make it up to her.】

【Task issued: The girl you must find is named Jiang Qingyi. She will appear on Xuanwu Street in Black Wind City (until the Host finds her, her location will be continuously marked for the Host). Please bring her up the mountain and teach her the sword.】

The task will last fifty years.

When the task is settled, the higher Jiang Qingyi's cultivation realm, the more generous the reward the Host receives.】

"Fifty years, huh... Good thing time in the Hundred Lives Book runs a hundred times faster than outside, or I'd die before I ever finished this task."

Xiao Mo pulled his attention back from the Hundred Lives Book and found a pool of water to look at his reflection.

This avatar looked exactly the same as he had in his last life.

That was good—it made it easier to feel his way into the part.

Picking up the long sword from the table, Xiao Mo went straight down the mountain.

"Steamed buns for sale!"

"Fresh out of the steamer!"

On Xuanwu Street in Black Wind City, the owner of a steamed bun shop was hawking his wares with all his might.

A short-haired kid in ragged hemp clothes, face covered in dust and impossible to tell boy from girl, was sneaking closer.

While the owner wasn't looking, the kid wrapped up a few buns in a dirty cloth and ran!

"Stealing buns again, you little—!"

The owner caught on, snatched up his rolling pin, and gave chase.

"You little beggar, stop right there! I'm going to break your legs this time!"